In Your Own Company
by moor
Summary: Zutara, high school AU. Katara and Zuko. Previously part of Merits as a thank-you fic. Continued here. ABANDONED.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: In your own company  
Author: Moor (beyondthemoor on LJ)  
Genre: Modern AU, high school  
Length: Approx. 4400 words  
Pairing: Zutara  
Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: "Avatar: TLA" belongs to its copyrights holders.**

**AN: This is the 'thank-you' 'fic I wrote for AvatarAiris after she left me the 50th review on "Merits"! I hope you enjoy it! Just to be clear, this 'fic is separate from "Merits". I hope you like it, AvatarAiris! **

**This fic is based on how the group would interact in high school... but if events similar in nature had happened to them up to the season three episode, 'The Firebending Masters'. **

**AN: Thank you for reading!  
**

* * *

**(Late afternoon.)**

"Uh... hi..." Zuko's voice was a bit hesitant as he opened the door and spied not one, but four individuals waiting on his doorstep that Tuesday afternoon.

"Hey Zuko! I hope I'm on time!"

"Yeah, come on in, Aang... everyone..." He took a staggered step back as the unexpected guests trouped into his spacious main hallway.

"Thanks, I'll just make myself at home," Toph made her way straight to the sound of a large-screen TV blaring at a worn leather couch.

"Mind if I take a peek in your kitchen?" asked Sokka, already following his nose Toucan Sam-style in a separate direction.

"Uh, that is, actually, I can–," it was a futile attempt, but the young tutor-turned-host held an arm up as if to call Sokka back. The dark-skinned younger man had already found the fridge, however, and was making giddy noises of contentment. "Ooh! You have my favourite pie in here..."

Zuko's attention was brought back to the entranceway at the next individual's deliberate words. They were sharp enough to nearly make him wince.

"Come on, Aang. Let's get this over with."

Last through the door came the one person in school who had yet to welcome him back after the accident and his stay in a private school. Everyone else had forgiven him for being a trouble-maker, especially after Aang had welcomed him into his group of personal friends (and really, no one went against Aang) – but Katara Kuruk.

The tutoree in question gave his senior an apologetic look as he passed by, leaving Zuko fumbling with the large door and watching everyone scatter like grains of rice on the floor.

"Should I just set up at the library desk, as usual?" asked Aang, putting his coat away neatly in the closet, and helping Katara next with hers.

"Yeah, that's great. I'll be right there."

"Ok!" Aang smiled and hopped off towards the rear room, leaving Katara to remove her shoes with Zuko in the entryway.

"Right, sure..."

Even though she was on his partially-blind side, he knew the fiercely protective young woman was at the same time keeping her back to him and still managing to keep an eye on him. While it stung, he couldn't blame her for it, either. They didn't speak to each other. Ever.

He left her and made a small wish that the afternoon not end in awkward hostility. Head high and refusing to let his spirits swing low, he followed Aang to the den where his laptop and school books were currently settled, ready and waiting to teach Aang the intricacies of higher-level calculus.

...with Katara chaperoning for the duration...

* * *

Sokka and Toph decided to veg on the couch instead of hawk-eyeing the study-buddies.

"So, nice place? What's his dad do?" asked Sokka from beside Toph on the clean leather. Instinctively, she smacked his hand away from the bowl of chips she held in her lap; her feet were propped up lazily on a stack of magazines on the coffee table.

"This isn't his family home," she replied, and munched noisily on the snacks. "Ooh, you added Crackerjacks, my fav. Thanks, Snoozles."

Sokka shrugged and leaned back, resting his head on his arms folded behind him on the plushy furniture.

"How do you know this isn't his family home? Is he renting a room here or something?" Inquisitive blue eyes glanced at the opulent surroundings. "Nice digs...seems like Zuko."

"The vibe. He's acting like a guest in this place, not like he's welcome friends to his home. Granted, we aren't his 'best buds' or anything, but it feels like he's on his best behaviour, and not just for us."

"Maybe he has some of his old buddies out in the garage, just waiting for us to get a false sense of security before they jump us," muttered Sokka, and couldn't help alluding to Zuko's dangerous past. The gang he had run with had been a terror on the city for months, until some big underground gangwar had broken out and Zuko had disappeared to a 'private school' for over a year. He'd returned just a few weeks ago, and already was gaining popularity for having turned his life around and trying to fit in. That didn't mean he was accepted – but it did mean he was being recognized for making the effort. Acceptance would take time, but being friends with Aang and his gang had improved his reputation by leaps and bounds already. He hadn't gone out of his way to curry favour with the intimate group, either – it had just sort of happened. Due to Katara's coldness, however, Zuko mainly stuck to the other members of the group in the hallways, and never joined them at their lunchtable in the cafeteria where she was usually present.

"No, this place is empty except for us. I think this house belongs to someone he respects, and he doesn't want to mess things up for that person."

"And you're helping him achieve this goal by muddying his great patron's collection of _Time _and _People_."

"Precisely."

Curiosity got the better of him, and Sokka glanced around more seriously than before.

"...So who's house are we in?"

"How should I know? I'm just here for the eats."

* * *

Meanwhile, things weren't going as smoothly in the den.

"Yeah, you've got it!" coached Zuko, praising Aang's quick retention of the material again. "I can't believe you asked me to be your tutor – you seem to catch most of this stuff within a few examples."

The young student beamed up at him with thanks. "It really helps when you have someone to go over it with one on one. They don't teach this at school since there isn't enough interest, so when I found out you'd taken it at your private school, I couldn't let the chance go by. You're a good teacher, too, 'Sifu'-Zuko."

For the first time in a long time, Zuko felt himself relax slightly._ I'm good at something. I'm good at something that helps someone else_. "Just doing what I can," he answered.

"Well," broke in a cold, sarcastic voice, "why don't you two keep doing what you can and finish this up. This is a week night and the rest of us have a curfew."

Any warmth he'd felt was doused. _I'm never allowed to be right for long._

"Sure, thanks for ... I'll just go to the next example, which is right... uh..." stumbling over his notes, Zuko accidentally knocked his laptop off the desk. It was only his lightning-quick reflexes that kept it from smashing on the hardwood floor. He was breathing quickly, nervously, as he picked the expensive computer up and tried to settle it safely on the table edge again. "For the next example, just give me a minute here, I'll just put this back and pull out the next chapter, which is... uh... it's... I have it written down, it's about derivatives... uh..." Sweat broke out across his brow as his confidence shook and he lost his place entirely in the lesson. Having her glaring at him always did that to him.

"_Oh for the love of..." _Katara rolled her eyes and hmphed in derision.

"Katara."

Aang was looking at her in surprise... and disappointment.

"What?" she snapped.

"It'll just be a second, I've got everything right here." Finally getting his things in order, Zuko seized his lesson outline and notes from his old 'school' and tried to regain control of the situation. Aang and Katara's stare-down was not making him feel very comfortable; the hostility in the room was rising.

"That was rude."

Katara pretended to ignore her friend's chastising, and went back to her own homework.

"Katara. I mean it; apologise to Zuko. He's our host and he's my tutor. You're being impolite."

Zuko had rarely seen any discord within the group at all (other than Sokka and Toph ribbing each other good-naturedly, of course – and sometimes ruthlessly, but that seemed to be their relationship), and the firmness in Aang's voice as he addressed his long-time girl friend had taken him aback.

Going by Katara's dark eyes, it seemed to be taking her some getting used to, too. She still hadn't replied or given any indication she'd heard him, other than her shoulders tensing slightly and her brow drawing together.

"Katara," ordered Aang. She clenched her jaw.

"Look, it's ok, really – I'm ready to get back to work if you are, Aang." _I don't want to see any more fighting. I don't care. Let's just get back to work..._

"No, it's not ok," Aang's patient, reasonable face was marred slightly by the darkness in his own gray eyes as he looked at Zuko. "She doesn't act like this, and she should be nice to you. Katara, stop acting like a kid. You're insulting Zuko's hard work and help, and you're embarrassing me," he stood up, then, and faced her.

The room was quiet for a time, as Zuko watched the pair and their body language, and he couldn't help but feel guilty. _Why do I always screw things up? Why can't I just do something right? I don't care if she apologises or not, it doesn't matter to me, she hates me! If I were her, I'd hate me, too!_

The self-loathing internal monologue assaulted his confidence for a few more minutes, as Aang and Katara shifted and eventually faced each other.

Katara's eyes were hard. And red. She wasn't crying, she was angry.

"I hate you," she muttered viciously under her breath, and stuffed her things into her bag before stalking out of the otherwise orderly room and slamming the door behind her.

Curios and knick-knacks on the bookshelves tinkled and clinked together at the force of the shock. Aang's shoulders slumped and he sat down dejectedly with a sigh.

"Sorry..." he mumbled, and stared sightlessly at his notes. "She's normally not so..." Even he couldn't come up with a nice way to describe Katara's behaviour since Zuko had come back.

"S'ok," Zuko's forced his fingers to unclench from the notes he'd been holding.

Aang sighed again and considered his words carefully. After a moment or so, he continued.

"Her father's, well, her and Sokka's dad, since they're siblings... he's a cop."

_Oh. _Zuko felt a headache start at his temples, and sickness roil in his gut.

"So, when all that stuff went down before, with your gang, and you..."

"Yeah, I get it. I'm bad news."_ No wonder she hates me. I could have been one of the ones taking aim at her family. _Shame, hot and filthy, burned his stomach and up to his throat. His past was never going away. No one was ever going to let him let it go...

"No! Her dad is a cop – but he's one of the ones in the Organized Crime Unit assigned to keeping the peace between the gangs... So he's the one the gangs call when they need help and don't want to involve innocent bystanders... They get a lot of late-night calls... Katara and Sokka don't see their dad much."

Aang continued in a rush. "Katara doesn't hate you, Zuko, she just doesn't trust you; she thinks... geez, right now, actually, even _I_don't know what she's thinking. But she doesn't know if she can let you in past her own walls. She's normally really nice. I'm sorry, Zuko, I don't know what her problem is right now. But I don't think it is you, exactly. I think it is more what you used to represent."

He felt himself nod distantly, and sighed knowing it was going to be a long, long time before he got to make a true 'fresh' start somewhere.

"It's ok, Aang. I think I get it, now. But thanks," it had been so long since he'd used it, he felt like he'd forgotten how it worked; but the smile pulled just enough at the edges of his mouth to turn the corners up and make a clear distinction that it was indeed a smile and not a grimace. "Now, let's get back to work – we've got a lot to cover before you take off with your, uh, friends."

The skinny younger man grinned cheesily back at his tutor and slapped him on the back. "Hey, you're our friend, too! And you're right, let's hit these books..." He made a mock-punch at the text book -- and then winced when his hand hit it a bit harder than he meant to. "Ow..."

Zuko couldn't help but smirk in amusement at Aang's antics.

* * *

It was noonhour at school, and Aang and Katara had taken a walk away from their usual group of friends at their lunchtable to go for a walk. Bright sunshine, warm winds, and the occasional waft from the shore breeze had turned the day into a picturesque setting for an afternoon stroll.

"I just feel like getting outside for a bit, it's beautiful outside!" had been his invitation, and Katara had accepted hoping that they would tactfully ignore her poor behaviour from two days' prior. She was wrong.

"I know something's up, Katara. Why won't you talk to me?"

His sensitive voice made raised her hackles immediately and his warm gray eyes probed her blue ones with concern. The day that had seemed too beautiful for words a moment before chilled several degrees and she couldn't help but pull her blazer closer to her to fend off the tendrils of cool air that cloyed at her, searching for chinks in her armour.

"I'm fine, Aang. Really," she insisted.

He stopped and grasped her sleeve, gazing at her face thoughtfully.

"You're not 'fine'. I know you when you're fine. Your eyes laugh and you smile. You make jokes, and they're terrible, but you make smart-ass remarks about Sokka and Toph. Lately, since I started hanging out with Zuko and tutoring, you're... something's changed. What's wrong?"

His deep, storm-gray eyes held her sky-blue ones intently.

"I don't like Zuko Sozin," she said bluntly, not bothering to lie to him.

"Why?"

"Because he's a thug! A criminal!"

"No, he's not!"

"Aang, I know you like to give people second chances," she started, but he interrupted.

"And so do you, Katara. We all make mistakes. Zuko's doing his best to overcome his – and he's even helping me when he doesn't have to. I'm not paying him; I'm not even asking him, because I know he'd never accept it. He's trying really hard. And you're not letting him move on. You're judging him for what he did, not what he can do. It isn't just affecting you, either – it is making everyone around us awkward and uncomfortable."

"No it isn't," she protested; she hadn't noticed any change at all.

"Yes, it is!" his voice rose a bit with the insistence. "You need to grow up, Katara."

The blades of grass in the school soccer field where they had stopped rippled as the wind blew, and Katara stared at the patterns a moment before she replied.

"Fine. So what do you want me to do? Throw him a surprise party welcoming him to the 'good' life? Not happening, Aang. Ever."

"NO!" His frustration was so obvious it came out in his yell and drew the stares of a few students off in the nearby parking lot.

To her credit, Katara felt herself blush crimson when she realised how obtuse and stubborn... and admittedly immature she was being. She bit her lower lip but refused to back down. Her arms were crossed in front of her, and she looked once more at the green carpet below her before facing Aang again.

"No," the young man repeated more calmly. "What I want is for you to give him a chance. Talk to him. Be nice to him. You're my friend, Katara. _My best friend_. I want, no I need you to be a friend to Zuko, too. Not because of me; because you want to."

The young woman flipped her hair and looked away. "Yeah, I'll get right on that."

Her voice dripped with sarcasm. For a moment, a brief, almost non-existent split-second of time, Aang's face darkened and he seemed to grow older... Katara's eyes were riveted to his and the change in his features, fascinated, and also a bit afraid at what she'd inadvertently caused.

"Katara," he said slowly, "you really aren't who I thought you were."

With that, his grip on her sleeve loosened and he let it slide through his fingertips until he brushed her hand with his.

Then he let her go and walked away.

* * *

She rejoined the other members of their group for the rest of the lunchhour. Aang was nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah, so he did leave the gang. His uncle helped him out. He stays with him, it's his house," explained Toph to their friend Teo at the table.

"Aah, that explains why Zuko felt like a guest. He doesn't want to lose his posh crib," the unnecessary and exaggerated hand gestures Sokka made caused everyone to groan.

"No," corrected Toph again and elbowing Katara's brother in the gut. "They're close. You could tell the way they teased each other over dinner last night. Speaking of, his uncle's a great cook – Zuko's not bad, either! The apron was a nice touch."

"He was a good cook, wasn't he?" agreed Sokka, rubbing his tender belly.

"You guys stayed for supper?" asked Katara. The group fell artificially silent.

_I really do make everyone uncomfortable now, _she realised with astonishment. _How long have I been doing this?_

"Yeah. You left early, but we stayed. It was a lot of fun, actually. I think Iroh liked having us over."

Katara stared at her brother in confusion. "Iroh?"

"Zuko's uncle," explained Haru, who'd also been at the lunch table. "You know, Mr. Sozin. The VP?"

"He's a fun old guy; knows his kitchen," added Sokka with a respectful tone.

"Oh,..." Katara went back to listening to everyone else discuss the rowdy dinner and evening at their vice principal's house. She'd never known he and Zuko were related. She wondered why he didn't stay with his own family. Now that she thought about it, she realised he'd never actually mentioned his family, not that she'd paid all that much attention to what he was saying, but that was a bit odd.

"... shame about his family, though."

"Yeah, completely disowned him. His uncle was the only one who'd give him a chance."

The words and thoughts broke through her reverie and she glanced up at her friends again in surprise. After he got into trouble, they just abandoned him?

"Even his mother?" she asked aloud, jumping back into the conversation.

The group stared at her uncomfortably.

"Katara..." Haru looked at her meaningfully. He was trying to tell her something important with his green, sympathetic eyes... She stared hard at him, trying to decipher it. No luck. She didn't get it.

She looked next to her brother, Sokka; he was looking away, too. His face looked thoughtful, reflective. It was so foreign on him that she wondered if they were playing a joke on her.

She nearly laughed and called them on it – but something held her back.

_Ok, there's gotta be someone here who knows what's going on..._

Curiosity got the better of her. "Toph?"she asked, exasperated.

"His mom's dead."

The words were blunt, like a rock plopping into a still lake; the ripples reverberated through Katara. "Rumour has it it has something to do with his dad and his work. Rumour also states that the apple didn't fall far from the tree – until the apple rolled to his uncle and begged for a second chance to grow up an oak instead of an fruit-loop bush..." Toph shrugged as if she'd been commenting on the weather. "But rumours are rumours, right?"

_His father killed his mother, he was kicked out of his family for following in his dad's footsteps, and his uncle was the only person who gave him a helping hand._

_He's been doing everything to prove himself a good man... And I've been making a fool out of him and his efforts to actually have a normal life._

The guilt dug into her with the force of a tide, slow at first, but building with each wave. _Aang was right. I've been a horrible person. _

She didn't know what to say.

Without another word, Katara got up and left the lunch table.

When she was safely out of hearing, Toph picked up her cell phone and dialed.

"Yeah... We'll see. At least she knows now."

"Thanks, Toph," said Aang's disconnected voice.

"You owe me cheese doodles and Cobra Starship tickets. Preferably paid at the same date and time."

"Consider it done," he chuckled, and hung up.

* * *

**(Late afternoon... again.)**

_Let's see, Aang's tutoring is Tuesdays and Thursdays... _

She turned around the last corner of the long, winding driveway and stared at the large house. She'd told Aang that one of their teachers had called a last-minute student rep meeting to go over something important to do with the next night's dance. Being a student-council rep, Aang had been obligated to follow-up.

That left her with just enough time to see Zuko alone before the younger man showed up for the tutoring. She was sure that in that meager interval of privacy, she could bring herself to apologise to Zuko, dig a bottomless pit of a hole, and leap in to die of embarrassment with plenty of time before her former best friend's arrival. _And hey, if I'm not done by then he'll probably kick me into that hole himself..._

Shaking the cynical thoughts from her mind, she reached out and pushed the doorbell.

Zuko must have been waiting directly on the other side, as the door swung open eagerly – then increasingly hesitantly– within seconds of her releasing the intercom button.

"... Uh... hi, Katara," his gold eyes looked at her curiously, and then glanced behind her without meaning to be rude. "Are you with Aang?" His expression clearly indicated he hoped she was.

"No, not today. He's... he told me to tell you he's going to be late," she lied.

"Ah. He can call, next time. Just so you don't have to go out of your way again, I mean!" the words rushed out, and he raised a hand as if to try and calm her, to retract any insult she may have taken from his carelessness. "Yeah, I'll just go wait for him, then. Did he say how long?" The young male stood in the doorway in jeans and a t-shirt, obviously having changed from his school uniform when he arrived home. It was the first time she'd seen him in such casual clothing. It made him seem less threatening, in a way.

Katara's lips tightened slightly._ He's trying to change; let him, _she reminded herself.

"No, he didn't. Look, could I come in? Please?" she added, remembering her manners. "I want to talk to you."

Zuko immediately went on guard.

"Uh..." White knuckles gripped the edge of the doorframe and he looked like he was ready to panic and bolt the door from the inside.

Katara winced. _Wow, I must be pretty terrifying if I can make a former gang-leader cringe like that..._

However, Aang's tutor's hesitation was also a bit endearing to her, and made the corner of one side of her mouth quirk up in an awkward smile; offering a truce.

"I want to apologise, Zuko," she said. "If you'll forgive me."

The words hung between them in the gap, and neither reached out to grab or support them.

Gold eyes looked downwards as the troubled young man took a step back as if to return inside; she held her breath, and waited for the rejection to be official.

Lips thinning, however, he didn't ignore her.

"Come in," he replied softly, and opened the door wider.

Katara's eyes shone ocean blue with relief, and she took a step towards him.

_I did it._ Her breath came out in a quiet rush of happiness, and she relaxed and followed him inside.

* * *

**(The next day at noonhour.)**

Zuko's class had let out a bit early, and he carried his lunch to the cafeteria to look for a quieter corner to eat, away from the rest of the established cliques and groups since he still didn't feel quite comfortable joining them.

He passed a bustling group and heard Aang's excited voice call out to him.

"Hey Zuko! We're over here!"

As he glanced that way, half a dozen hands were waving at him to get his attention (Aang's most energetically, accompanied by his usual smile) from an already-crowded table.

Without realising it, Zuko's mouth tilted in a rare, warm smile. "You look full–," he began, but walked towards them anyway.

"Always room for one more," said Sokka, pulling up a chair from another table when Toph elbowed him in the gut.

The chair settled between himself and Katara, and awaited his attendance

Zuko felt a twinge of nervousness shimmy down his core.

Glancing at the beautiful young woman, his eyes held a silent question. _Can I...?_

In return, Katara's solemn face held his gaze – before she cracked a rueful smile back and said, "You're late."

Zuko nodded, still a little shocked, and murmured thanks. _I'm forgiven._

As he accepted his new place within the group, Zuko Sozin finally felt he belonged. For the remainder of the lunch hour, the table of teenagers laughed and joked with him as if he'd always been among them.

"So Obi Wan Ke_NOOB_ie," Toph teased the newest inductee in their posse, "who're you taking to the dance tonight?"

Zuko's mouth fell a little open in surprise. _Dance?_

"Uh, I ... don't dance," he mumbled, and took a big bite of his lunch to cover up his embarrassment. All-male juvenile detention reform schools weren't exactly the best place to go about receiving dance training...

Toph smiled... like the Cheshire Cat who'd already known his secret.

"... We can fix that."

**TBC  
**

* * *

**AN: I hope you enjoyed this random one-shot! AvatarAiris asked for 'Katara' 'Zuko', and 'hanging out after school'. I did what I could – AvatarAiris, I hope you liked it! (My apologies if it isn't quite what you had in mind...)  
AN: This was originally posted within "Merits" as a thank-you fic around late February or early March 2008. Due to recent uncontrollable, rampant plot-bunnies, I'm separating it out of "Merits" and turning it into its own fic, and will be continuing it. (Next chapter's already in progress.) … I hope that's ok!**

Any concrit, suggestions and feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you very much for all your wonderful comments, I hope you have a great holiday this December 2008! -mm


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: In your own company  
Author: Moor (beyondthemoor on LJ)  
Genre: Modern AU, high school  
Length: Approx. 6,300 words  
Pairing: Zutara  
Rating: T**

**Disclaimer: "Avatar: TLA" belongs to its copyrights holders.**

**AN: This fic is based on how the group would interact in high school... but if events similar in nature had happened to them up to the season three episode, 'The Firebending Masters'. **

**After a way-too-long-time deliberating, this fic kind of continued itself in my head, so I wanted to add an extra chapter or two to really 'finish' it. Please excuse my belated creativity… Thank you for reading!**

*****

**(Thursday afternoon, before Aang arrived for his tutoring session)**

Jet, Smellerbee and Longshot bid their time patiently in the leaf-cover provided by the treeline bordering Iroh's property. Their attention never waivered from the immaculately-kept landscape they'd kept under surveillance for the last day or so.

"He's there, I'm sure of it," mumbled Jet to his two companions. They nodded, trusting his instincts.

Sure enough, an hour or so later they saw the front door open and the young man in question led a pretty girl with long, dark hair out with a smile, waving to each other and promising to see each other the next day at school.

Jet's eyes narrowed as he got a closer look at the scene.

"Now that's interesting," he said thoughtfully, and watched the girl walk down the path to the main driveway before heading off in the direction of her home.

* * *

**(Friday afternoon…)**

In the hallway outside the student council office, Aang proudly handed Zuko a piece of the most damning evidence of their teenagerdom: A ticket to their school dance that night.

"Doors open at 7:30pm, and Katara and I'll be there early, so you can show up whenever you're ready!" chirped the younger man, so excited Zuko was joining them for an official school-sanctioned social activity he couldn't help himself from grinning. Anyone else observing them would have definitely been getting the wrong impression.

"You and Katara are going together?" Zuko asked nonchalantly, shifting his knapsack on his back and still not looking at the ticket he held. Finally being able to speak to her, alone at that, the day before at his home, and then again that day at lunch had made him far less wary of the young woman.

"… Uh, no…" Aang coloured a bit and scratched the back of his head. "We're on set-up, so we have to stay late after school, and then be at the auditorium early for the dance to help take tickets and do coat check, et cetera… We're both on Social Committee, so we don't really ask, or get asked, to dances. We're just always there. We stay late to clean up afterwards, too."

"Oh. Sounds like a lot of work."

Aang looked more closely at Zuko's slightly downcast face, wondering why the other young man looked less enthusiastic than he had a moment ago. He reached his own conclusion, and immediately decided on a course of action he was sure would cheer up his tutor.

"It's not so bad, I get to work with Katara. Oh!" he exclaimed. "But don't worry – you won't have to go to the dance alone! I'll ask both Toph and Sokka to stop by your uncle's house on their way here to get you, so you'll have lots of company."

Zuko froze.

"That's ok," the older teen said quickly, blanching a bit and raising his hands, peace-maker fashion. "Uh, I'll come by myself. They don't need to come to the house."

"It's no problem at all, it's on the way!" insisted Aang, clearly missing the expression of _Really Bad Idea_ plastered across Zuko's face. They heard their last warning bell ring, and Aang waved and started jogging to his next class.

"See you tonight, Zuko! If you need anything to wear, just let Sokka know, he's really good with that stuff! Especially accessories!"

"But-!"

"Bye!"

Feeling adrift and abandoned, Zuko's arm lowered and he stood alone in the corridor a moment, trying to figure out just how much damage he'd do to his reputation and friendships if he were to fake sick that night and stay home.

"Ah, Nephew!"

Well there went that excuse. Zuko's blood ran cold at the warm, welcome sound of his uncle, Vice President Iroh's, voice from a doorway behind him. He'd forgotten the Student Council office was so close to the staff offices. It was a painful awakening.

Missing, or ignoring, his nephew's lack of greeting, Iroh barreled right along.

"I hear you're going to the dance tonight! What a lovely idea! Are you taking a lady-friend? We need to get you ready for your big night out!" Zuko felt a lead weight drop onto his shoulders; his uncle had put a fatherly arm around him. "Now don't you worry," whispered Iroh, "I know exactly what you can wear." He glanced at Zuko's head critically. "But we'll have to do something about that hair…"

"Miss Jun," called Iroh from his doorway while he maintained an iron grip on Zuko's shoulder. He was wily enough to know that the young man was about to bolt. "I'm going home early today--."

"Uncle, I mean, Mr. Sozin, I have classes this afternoon I can't miss--."

"Nonsense! This is a very important night for you!" Iroh turned back to his secretary-slash-administrative assistant. "Could you please send a note to Zuko's teachers that he's been called home for the afternoon? You can make up any excuse you like," he said conversationally.

Leaning back in her chair, her short skirt dangerously close to infringing on rule number four of their Casual Friday dress code, the most renowned, lazy secretary on the school board payroll perked up considerably. The promise of blanket permission brought a rueful smile to Jun's face, and she leaned forward to rest an elbow on her desk. "Is that so?"

"We'll see you this evening at the dance, Miss Jun!"

"'Later, Fatman."

The woman's chilling chuckles followed the two men the whole way home.

It wasn't more than a few minutes into his Manly Makeover that Zuko came to the conclusion that it would definitely have been less damaging to his friendships and reputation to have stayed home from the dance that night compared to the abuse he was sure he would suffer once he went out in public dressed in the outfit and hairstyle his uncle Iroh had inflicted on him.

"Zuko, I'm heading out now to oversee the preparations for the dance," called his uncle from the foot of the stairs that led to the second floor, where Zuko was desperately trying to tame his hair in the bathroom mirror. "I'm on chaperone duty tonight, so I'll see you when you arrive!"

"Better and better," the self-conscious young man muttered under his breath as he glared at his reflection."

"What was that?"

"I said I'll see you there later!"

"Good!"

The front door opened and clicked shut politely as his uncle exited and made his way towards the school grounds. Then, before he'd made much progress at all, the doorbell rang again and Zuko glumly welcomed Toph and Sokka inside. He hadn't had the nerve to cancel with them right in front of him and looking so expectant, so now he was stuck with their uncomfortable, awkward silence when he revealed his 'new look'.

Sokka took one look at Zuko's, er, _overwhelming_ appearance before putting his hands on his host's shoulders and steering him solemnly back to the bathroom. "We'll be back when he's more presentable, Toph," was all the younger man said in explanation.

"See, I told you it was a good idea to come early," called the young woman petulantly as she settled into her 'usual' spot on their couch and reached for the candy bowl she knew was always stationed on the coffee table.

* * *

Less than an hour from Toph and Sokka's arrival…

Longshot signaled Smellerbee from the side of the road, and they shifted from their hiding spots in the shrubbery to follow the trio of friends as they left Iroh's residence. Their orders were to simply follow at this point, and they did so quietly and swiftly up the private driveway to the school. They could clearly hear Sokka and Toph's nettling banter as they accompanied, or rather dragged, the reluctant third party with them up the long, winding road to the auditorium-cum-dance hall for the evening. The music flowed from the doorway and grew louder as they got closer; there was a small line-up outside of students who'd already queued up to get in.

As they approached the building, the tails glanced at each other and without a word slunk to the side back into the treeline to mask their presence.

Longshot drew the sleek, black cellphone from a pocket in his equally dark flak vest, nodding once to Smellerbee as she kept watch. He sent the expected text-message to their leader, and then put it away again until they received further instructions. The two friends sat back when the phone stayed silent after that, and waited for Jet to tell them when to make their next move.

In their gang, it was blood-in, blood-out.

And Zuko had left a few debts in his wake that needed to be taken care of.

* * *

The lights were dimmed in the auditorium, and all the seats had been pushed to the sides of the room where small posses of friends crowded together away from the main dance floor to laugh and socialize and watch the newcomers arrive. The polished wood floors shone where the flashing stage lights spun and reflected on them between the pulsing, flowing bodies of those students who were dancing in throngs and groups. Several large video screens were set up on the stage behind and beside the DJ, and speaker cable lines snaked everywhere.

From his place against the wall behind a boisterous clan of jocks, Jet surveyed the room with his arms crossed over his chest; he'd received the text-message, and was just biding his time a few more moments before setting his plan in action. Pushing away from the wall, he glanced at the clock on the opposite side of the auditorium and made his move.

He smiled at the beautiful young woman who accepted his jacket at the coat check, and she smiled back in welcome. "Hi there."

"Hey," she greeted pleasantly. "Are you new?" she asked in an open, friendly tone as she placed his worn canvas jacket on the hanger.

"Yeah, it's my first dance here, just looking to meet some new people before I start here officially next week. You free to show me around a bit later, maybe have a dance?"

The way she blushed a bit, and smiled wider in amusement at his charm, were all the confirmation he needed. _Inside_, he crowed triumphantly. He'd hooked her.

"Maybe. I get a break in about an hour or so. I'll take a look around for you."

She held out the coat-check-ticket to him with a teasing smile; her eyes widened when he held her hand in his a moment, looking deep into her blue eyes.

"I'll look forward to that…" His voice trailed off expectantly.

"Katara," she said softly, a blush creeping across her cheeks at the attention. She'd always been so independent—and had Sokka for an overprotective brother, to boot—that she rarely received such looks from the male students at their school. She glanced down at the counter between them a moment before looking up at him again to find him still gazing at her.

"Katara, I like that," he said smoothly, and gave her captive hand a quick, gentle squeeze. "Then hopefully I'll see you later, Katara."

"What about you?" she eeked out when he turned to leave, his fingers trailing over hers a moment longer than they needed to.

His eyes shone happily back at her. "My name's Jet."

With that, the confident young man waved and walked away back to the dance hall; but not before he caught the eye of another youth who'd just entered through the main doors, accompanied by two friends.

Wedged between Toph and Sokka, Zuko paused in shock as he recognized Jet, there in front of him at _his_ _school dance_, and bristled when the other man looked him in the eye and smirked. If Jet was there, he was up to no good. Something was up. Everything he'd worked so hard to put behind him, his past, his troubles, the bad things he'd done, suddenly smacked him in the face and unsettled him down to his core. He and Jet, and the rest of their gang, had done some horrible things before he'd been sent to juve; he didn't speak of those times with his new friends, and had no intention of them ever finding out what he'd done. And now, just seeing Jet aroused a current of guilt within Zuko, and sickening shame, and he couldn't help but feel for a moment that he wasn't good enough to be there, with friends who laughed with him, who cared about him, and who took care of him.

Something was very wrong, the young man could feel it. After a moment of reflection, he started walking towards the main hallway, following Jet. There was no way he was going to trust the other man; he didn't want him out of his sight. This had to be settled, and quickly.

However, he wouldn't be able to follow him quite yet.

"Zuko, you made it!" he heard a female voice call from nearby, distracting him; against his better judgment, he turned away from Jet to see Katara smiling at him excitedly from the coat check; her sparkling top immediately caught his attention, and she'd let her hair down, cascading in waves over her exposed shoulders and back. A few beautiful, ocean-blue glass bead hair clips held back some of the side sections so they framed her flushed cheeks. She held up a hanger and motioned him over, continuing. "Oh wow, you really…"

"Hmm?" Tearing his eyes completely from Jet's fading back, he focused on her. And swallowed quietly. She looked very… different… out of her clothes. Er, out of her usual clothes. Uniform. Fantastic. Sparkles.

She was staring at him, and the colouring on her cheeks had warmed to a very appealing rose tint. Her attention was making Zuko uncomfortable—he wondered for a moment if he should have stopped Sokka from 'helping' him earlier…

"Oh uh, just… you look really good tonight, Zuko. Take your jacket?" The blue-eyed girl said quickly, and fumbled with a coat hanger.

"Sure, thanks," his coat was still warm from his body heat when he handed it over; Katara handed him his ticket, and passed tickets to Toph and Sokka, who'd followed behind him, before they immediately grabbed and led Zuko on a short tour of the auditorium building.

…Which was good, because Katara knew she would have been very embarrassed if they'd caught her holding on to his warm garment a few minutes longer than she needed to, brushing off imaginary lint as she put it away on the racks behind her. It was a very nice, expensive piece of clothing, and she recognized the brand name. His family must be more well-off than she'd realized.

"Just being careful with it," she murmured to herself. "It doesn't mean anything." Even so, she pushed all the other jackets away from it when she hung it up, to make sure it wouldn't accidentally get a single wrinkle.

* * *

It turned out to be a very busy dance, with many of the students signing in friends from other schools to come and visit for the night. Iroh was, as usual, a terrible flirt with the more matriarchal teachers, and Sokka and Toph learned to steer Zuko clear of his uncle when he was making such overtures. Though Toph had lingered a moment longer than necessary when Iroh had seized Zuko and started trying to introduce him to 'nice young ladies' he could invite to dance with him….

"Never, ever, do that again," muttered Zuko darkly as Toph walked away with her hands lazily behind her head. Two young ladies had inadvertently overhead his uncle's invitation at the same time, and it had turned into a tug-of-war on his person. He rubbed his shoulder where one girl had dug in her nails, refusing to relinquish him. Ty Lee, Mai, something like that…

"Not my fault you're so pretty," the blind girl teased, then paused, turning her head to the side curiously. She'd been searching for a while and they'd done two walks around the dance floor now, and still nothing. "Hey, do you hear Katara anywhere?"

Huffing and rolling his shoulders, Zuko stopped to listen, and looked around the crowds. Plenty of sparkle-clad teenage girls, but no Katara. "No, is she due a break from coat-check yet?" He tried to come off as nonchalant.

Toph quirked an ear at the tone of his voice. _Interesting_. "Yeah, she was due to switch with another volunteer half an hour ago. She usually comes to find us right away… Let's go see if she & Aang are in the Council office; maybe something came up."

* * *

"She's not here either?"

"No, did she say she was on her way here?" asked Aang as he turned around from his desk in the homey, relaxed office. Toph crossed her arms in front of her as she rested against the arm of the overstuffed couch, thinking.

"No, just wondering where she was."

"Well I've only been here a little while – one of the teachers wanted me to check the office out to make sure no one was messing around in here, and I was just putting the ticket-box away before coming to find you guys," explained the younger man thoughtfully. "She might have been here earlier and left already," he offered.

Toph nodded, but both men could see she wasn't convinced.

"Let's go find Sokka. Something feels off," was all she said.

Now it was her tone of voice that had Zuko's suspicions rising. It was that moment that he remembered he hadn't seen Jet since he'd handed his coat over to Katara. It could still be coincidence, he reminded himself patiently.

"Aang, do you have your cell phone on?" asked Toph as he stood and joined them.

"Yeah, right here."

"Zuko?"

A pause. "I… don't have one."

Another pause. Toph sighed. "Aang, get him a phone."

"Here," Zuko caught the small device tossed to him. "It has all our numbers in it. I'll grab one of the student council phones. I think we have one or two left from the last school trip with some time left on 'em…"

"Meet you guys at the coat check in an hour. If there's still no Katara, we're calling someone. And whoever finds Sokka first, tell him to get his phone out and start looking, too, I don't care who he's macking with."

"Toph, are you ok? You sure you aren't over-reacting?" hedged Zuko as they walked out the door to the office, still hoping his own instincts were bluffing him. Behind them Aang finished writing a quick note & left it on the door to the office. It asked Katara to call them on their phones ASAP if she came by. They heard the lock click shut and they stood a moment, waiting for Toph's answer.

She looked at the ground, standing very still, as if listening to the distant music and waiting for something, some kind of sign. Their breathing was even, patient, but there was a definite tension in the air now. Something was amiss.

"No," she said finally, coming to her decision. "I don't know what it is, but it isn't like her to disappear without telling at least one of us where she's going—even if it's a school dance. Heck, she usually comes to get me when she needs to go to the bathroom to 'check her hair', and I haven't heard her once since coat check. I don't like it, and my gut doesn't like it. Spread out. One hour, coat check."

With that they separated, each taking a different wing of the school.

* * *

It had surprised Katara when Jet came looking for her, casually, within a few minutes of her shift at the coat check finishing. She had intended to let her friends know she was done, but Jet's charm and enthusiasm had convinced her that sure, a few minutes to show him around before returning to meet her friends wouldn't take long at all.

She stuck mostly to the auditorium and connected buildings, some with classrooms open that night to students who wanted to take a break from the dance and relax in a quieter atmosphere. Their school placed a good deal of trust in the students, and the student council, to police themselves, and many activities were entirely student-run with only faculty advisors to consult on a scheduled basis. The cafeteria that night was being run by student volunteers with light snacks and food, and Katara waved to a few familiar faces as they walked by.

"There are a lot of windows," remarked Jet as they passed the last group of students. "Bet it gets a lot of sunlight during the day. Do a lot of people study here, between classes?"

"On their spares, or just to chat. You probably saw the shelves towards the back – students are allowed to use the board games, magazines, and cards back there whenever they're in the cafeteria. On rainy days, it gets pretty busy. We also have the _wonderful_ responsibility of cleaning the common areas of the school, which helps keep everyone from getting too many wild ideas and starting too many food fights. Not that it stopped Sokka and Toph about a year ago," she joked as they returned to the hallway. In this area of the school the lights were turned off after hours, indicating it was restricted from student use that night. _End of tour_, and Katara sighed pleasantly. Her job as Student Councillor was done. She arched her back to give it a quick stretch, and laughed a little to herself. It had been a while since she'd given a new student a tour; Jet had been very good company, but she was looking forward to heading back to her friends.

"Well, I guess we'll have to wait to finish the tour when you start next week, Jet; I'm sure VP Iroh'll show you around the rest of the classrooms, though, to meet your teachers. He seems really formal when you first meet him, but he's actually kinda cool… Just don't ever tell him I said that…"

She turned to head back to the auditorium and paused when she noticed Jet wasn't following her. In fact, he wasn't even in sight.

"Jet?"

Shit. He hadn't even started at their school yet, and already she'd lost their newest student.

"Jet!"

"Katara, you gotta come see this!"

His voice was distant – he'd already made it quite a ways down the deserted, black hallway.

Groaning a bit to herself, she glanced around and saw she still had another two hours before the dance ended. Hopefully she'd find him quickly…

"Jet, come on, we need to get back…"

Striding stubbornly after him, she picked up her pace when she caught a glimpse of him heading towards the far stairwell. If she had to drag him back, she would, but she sure as hell _wouldn't_ be speaking to him Monday for making her go through this grief. Really, what was he thinking – the dance and everyone else were in the opposite direction.

Her footsteps made quick, echoing sounds as she started running after him in the somber, abandoned hallways. No one saw her disappear around the corner, and out of sight.

* * *

"We saw her talking to some guy with shaggy hair earlier, but they left a while back."

That was the latest in a string of people who'd seen Katara accompanied around the school that night by an unknown youth who wasn't one of their students. It looked like their last stop had been the cafeteria before they'd disappeared. That had been well over an hour ago.

Zuko thanked the younger students, and continued looking around the cafeteria for clues, despite the sinking feeling deep inside himself that was slowly, quietly, confirming his gnawing suspicions. Jet had deliberately led Katara away from her friends, away from the crowds, and away from the overall safety of the dance. What he couldn't figure out was why…

Glancing down at his borrowed cell phone, he quickly sent a message to Aang saying he hadn't found her yet, asking if anyone else had. He was sure they would have let him know by now if she'd turned up, but just to be sure, he waited.

His face tightened when he felt the now-familiar buzz of the phone indicating a reply had been received, and that it was negative. He breathed out heavily through his nose in frustration. They'd have to go to his uncle soon… Zuko felt his tense shoulders droop slightly, in shame. This would be difficult. He had wanted to leave his past behind him. And now it looked like another innocent person was getting dragged into it. It made him angry, but also ashamed he wasn't in a position to help, either. And that it was his fault Katara would be the one paying for it.

When he walked out into the hallway, he tried to figure out if he had enough time to make one more futile sweep of the department before heading back for their arranged check-in. Jet was possibly already off the school grounds; it wouldn't stop at notifying his uncle, they would need to call the police…

He stared at the floor a moment as his jaw clenched in frustration, and he felt pressure behind his eyes as he tried to collect himself and think of something, anything, that would help him find her. Why had they targeted her, of all people? He tutored Aang; he and Katara barely spoke to each other; only since yesterday had they…

Tension slowly built within him, from every muscle and nerve, until he wanted to explode in anger. They must have seen her leave his house, and misunderstood…

A snarl ripped from his throat as he rubbed his eyes and he tried to center himself, staring at the hardwood floors again to calm down.

The floor…

The blue-sparkling floor.

His eyes widened, his head snapping up to look at the faint trail that led down the darkened hallway.

Zuko's feet were already pounding down the dark, abandoned corridors and before he knew it he was running full out, calling out for Katara every time he turned a corner.

"Katara!" and then, his anger getting the better of him, he angrily breathed, "Jet..."

* * *

"Aang! Zuko just ran into the non-auth wing!" gasped one of the young students as he skidded to a stop beside the assembled Student Council group and teachers.

"He did what?" Sokka whirled from where he'd been talking to Iroh, incredulous. "We told him tonight that area was off-limits…" he mumbled to himself, but too low for the other student to hear him.

"He was running and yelling for Katara."

Sokka and Aang glanced at each other, and Toph remained very quiet.

"What was he doing just before that?" inquired Iroh with an encouraging, open smile at the youngster. "Did you see Katara?"

"He was talking to everyone in the cafeteria; most of us had seen Katara taking some guy with scruffy hair on a tour of the school earlier that night, so we told Zuko. Then we heard him yelling and we saw him take off into the old wing." He dropped his voice and his eyebrows knit in concern. "Is Zuko jealous of this other guy? Was it her boyfriend?"

"Did he say or do anything else?" asked Iroh carefully, noticing the way Katara's friends were looking at each other quizzically. Not a single teacher or administrator had mentioned getting a new student that month… And everyone knew Katara wasn't really dating… her first day of school, Sokka had promptly threatened to castrate any male within reach of his younger sister, much to her annoyance.

"Something about a 'jet', but we didn't really catch that part, he was too far away. We don't want to get Zuko in trouble, but it's the old wing, and…"

"S'ok, you did a good job, kid," assured Sokka with a brotherly pat on his shoulders. "We'll go get Zuko, don't worry about it. It's his first dance, he probably didn't know he wasn't supposed to go that way. Or he got lost," he shrugged dismissively. "Thanks for the news."

The young man nodded, and returned to his friends who'd waited just a little outside the group of searchers. Together they headed back to the dance again, a bit more relaxed now that they'd done their part in helping their Student Council.

Sokka waited until they were out of earshot before looking carefully at Zuko's uncle. "You know something," he said.

Iroh looked thoughtfully in the direction of the old wing. "I'm hoping I don't, actually."

Sokka's eyes narrowed.

"Miss Jun," Iroh turned to bring the dark-haired, and that night openly-tattooed, secretary into their fold. "I'll be taking a walk around the school for a bit to make sure there are no old ghosts roaming the halls after hours. Please watch over things here until we return."

"Those ghosts can be pretty pesky, Fatman. Let me know if you need a hand," she said with a wave, and walked over to the auditorium doors to glare balefully at the dancing teenagers, occasionally rolling her eyes at their antics.

Nodding at the others, which included Toph, Sokka and Aang, Iroh led them through a door that read Staff Only and into an empty staff lounge.

"You know something," repeated Sokka, more tightly this time.

"It has to do with Zuko, doesn't it?" remarked Toph, her arms at her sides this time.

"It has to do with what the young man just told us about what Zuko said, yes," said Iroh.

"Well? What is it? We need to find Katara. This really isn't like her!" exclaimed Aang. Rubbing his head he paced the length of the confined room like an anxious tiger.

"When Zuko was… confused, before he came to this school, he made some poor decisions and came to meet some people who made worse decisions," the older gentleman straightened a bit, and his eyes darkened noticeably. "One of the worst people he joined was named Jet."

"Jet… Zuko was yelling something about a Jet earlier… when he started running to the old wing--."

"Sokka, hold on!" Toph grabbed her friend as he was about to tear through the lounge door in his fury.

"Zuko must have reason to believe Jet is here tonight," admitted Iroh unhappily. "And that he has something to do with Katara's disappearance."

"Well what are we waiting for? We need to go get her away from them!"

"Sokka!"

Katara's brother started at Iroh's barked order. "This is not the time to be rash. We need to be very careful. Zuko left Jet and his gang, but never betrayed them – but Jet doesn't believe that. He is going to be trying to hurt Zuko. We can't allow any mistakes or allow anyone else to be involved. We're going to call your father at the police station, to see what he suggests. In the meantime, we are going to stay together," he emphasized the last word, "and see if we can locate them so we can give this information to the police."

The muscles in Sokka's face tightened perceptibly; Toph reached a hand out to take his sleeve, but he jerked it away angrily, so she let it drop again. For his part, Aang's tension receded slightly at the news. They really couldn't rush in without a plan, not when this was far from being simple.

"Now, one of our only advantages at the moment is that we know the terrain. Not the police, and certainly not Jet, know this school the way we do," continued Iroh. Sokka and Aang didn't miss the gleam of determination in his eyes, and Toph's mouth curled slightly at the corners at what his voice promised. "We need to find them and see if we can stall them until the police get here."

"You've already told the police?"

"Yes."

The students were surprised – they hadn't seen him near a phone… but then again, this was VP Iroh. He was known to pull some pretty funky tricks.

"Let's go."

* * *

Katara looked around the rear exit from the school apprehensively – and more than a little angrily. Jet had led her on a wild goose chase around the archaic building and she was absolutely furious.

"Jet, this is the last time," she yelled, reaching the end of the hall (and her patience) and looking around the under-stairwell. The faint light given off by the EXIT sign lit above the exit door to her left did little to illuminate the area. He could be hiding there and she wouldn't know until she stepped on him. "If you don't come out now, I'm going back to get a teacher, and you'll be making a helluva terrible first impression, getting in trouble before you've even set foot inside a classroom! Now I'm going to count to three before I head back – if you're not with me, you're on your own. One."

She heard a shuffle nearby, but crossed her arms instead of investigating it. She wasn't going a step further to get the mischief-maker.

"Two."

Really, he was worse than Toph and her practical jokes. At least those were funny. When she wasn't the butt of them.

"Three. That does it, 'bye Jet. Good luck when the teachers catch y—mph!"

Before she could react, strong arms grabbed Katara from behind and dragged her towards the double-door exit, ignoring her attempts to escape.

Screaming and biting, she twisted and tried to loosen the grip around her neck and arms to no avail. She heard easy breathing from over her shoulder, and recognized the smell of Jet's cologne. His chuckles rumbled deep within her as he pulled her close to him and whispered in her ear.

"You don't need to worry about me, Katara."

He pushed the door open with his back and dragged her out, kicking and bucking, and she screamed uselessly against the hand that covered her mouth. In the distance she heard footsteps faintly and lashed out with her foot to try and make some noise and get the approaching person's attention: kicking a locker, knocking over a garbage can, she would have tried to smash the fire alarm pull by the door if she'd been able to reach it. Despite her wild thrashing, however, her efforts made very little sound, and the most she did was leave a mess of paper from tipping over the nearest recycling bin. It was little reassurance when Jet continued to overpowere her.

Katara's hair tangled in her face and she realized her hair clips must have fallen out at that point, but still she tried to scream for help. Even muffled by his thick sleeve, she cried out until her voice was hoarse and her throat was raw. She was sure she'd heard footsteps, someone had to be close by!

"Stop it, now," growled Jet, and jerked her through the door. "I mean it, Katara. I don't want to hurt you."

Eyes wide, Katara felt a chill shiver down her spine to settle in her gut when she realized no help was close enough to save her at that moment; she was well and truly alone. And no one knew where she'd gone.

She was scared. In one last ditch, desperate movement, she tucked her legs up and then lunged.

Katara nearly broke free of Jet's grasp, only to feel the air knocked out of her as he punched her once, mercilessly, in the stomach. Gasping, the young woman slumped forward, arms clutched around her middle as pain radiated out from her core. Tears stung her eyes as her knees gave way, and she felt strong male hands rub gently down her arms, to her waist, and then under her knees to pick her up and carry her before she fell to the ground.

"But I'll do what I have to. Sorry about this, sweetheart," she heard him mumble into her hair as he strode away from the school with her held close to his chest. "You're just a means to an end. Wrong place, right time."

And the door slammed shut behind them as she was hauled away from the protection of the school into the chill night air.

* * *

At the external door's loud clang, Zuko swerved to a halt and spun around. It had come from the direction of the rear exit.

"No…." the word whispered over his lips and his heart sunk when he concluded Jet must've left the confines of the school building and ventured beyond. With Katara.

_But there's a chance he left her behind, just as a warning of some sort…_ he tried to believe the feeble lie, but couldn't. Katara's safety was more important, she deserved better than that. She deserved so much more.

Ignoring the direction of the last thought and what it may mean, Zuko found himself staring at no small amount of wreckage when he reached the doors. Posters had fallen from the walls or hung at odd angles, recycling littered the ground…

…and just in front of the doors, poking out from underneath a crumpled flyer, a scuffed hairclip, decorated in the tiny blue beads he'd noticed Katara usually wore in her hair, lay snapped in two; the glass droplets bled out around it irreparably.

The door swung open wide and fast, slamming against the outside wall as Zuko burst through and scanned the darkness.

From the corner of his eye he caught sight of several figures moving towards the trees & deeper forests that surrounded their campus. The furious young man tore up the hill after them, hairclip dug fiercely into his clenched palm.

**TBC**.

* * *

AN: Not entirely happy with this chap, but working towards finishing this one—should be one more chap before the end. Sorry for the delays! (Also, apologies this installment isn't very good. I'll try and make up for it next time.) I wrote most of this back in December 2008, so it may feel a little different now that I'm continuing it nearly a year later. D'oh! (I'm so embarrassed, sorry!)

Posted: 18 September 2009


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